Gauge cock



Nov. v8, 1932. G. w. osBoRNA.

GAUGE COCK Fi1ed Nov. 6, 1951 /A/vEA/rop:

l Arran/vnf Patented Nov. 8, 1.9132

rzxxllaNr OFFICE GEORGE W. OSBOIR'N,` OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, .ASSIGNOR` TO THE RELIANCE GAUGE COLUMN COMPANY, 'OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF'OHIO GAUGE cool:

Application led November 6, 1931. SerialNo. 573,420. 'y

This invention relates to valvey actuating devices and my invention, while applicable in its broader aspects to various kinds of valves, is especially useful as applied to the gauge cocks of water columns of ysteam boilers and 'I shall describe and explain the inventionl in connection with this latter application. f

Steam boiler water columns, -inaddition to Ihaving the usual glass water gauge for giving visual indication of thewater level in the boiler, are usually fitted with a plurality of gauge cocksv opening into the column at different levels. Usually three such gauge cocks are provided and by opening these cocks one after another, beginning with the top one, the boiler attendant can secure a rough indication of the water level. The gauge cocks are especially useful. in case the glass water gauge is temporarily put out of commission by breakage.

The gauge cocks referred to are commonly provided with actuating devicesby means of which the boiler attendant can conveniently open and close the valves while standing on the boiler room floor, a common practice being to provide each gauge cock with an op'- erating lever and a pull chain attached to the lever and depending therefrom to be conveniently graspedby the attendant. It is necessary to mount the gauge cocks close enough to each other so that there is a tendency for interference between adjacent operating levers, especially if levers of the Weighted type are employedand as a result wthprior forms of construction known to me there has been a tendency for lthe valve lever moved by the attendant to strike the lever of an adjacent valve and cause the opening of the latter with resultant confusion to the attendant.

One of the-objects of the present invention is the lprovision of 1an improved form of valve-actuating devicev which is adapted, whensuch devices are mounted on a plurality of associatedvalves, to prevent the difficulty above referred to.

' More specifically, it

so formed that a portion of said device, when its valve is moved toopen position, shall enis an object of the invention to provide a valve-actuating `device 4 gage a different portion of a similar actuating device of the next adjacent valve to hold the latter valve closed, and preferably also to limit the opening movement of the valve primarily actuated.

ancillary or incidental to the objects above stated, as well as the manner of' attaining the various objects, will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention as applied to water column gauges.

yIn the drawing, Fig. l is an elevation of the main partV of a water column with my improved form of gauge cocks mounted thereon. l y

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the bottom gauge cock anda portion ofthe wall of thev `water column.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of the gauge cock actuating levers. v Fig. ,4 is a side elevation of saidlever.

Referring in detail to the construction illustrated, 1 designates the main part of Ia water Vcolumn adapted to beconne'cted witliasteam boiler in the usual and well known manner.

`This water column is adapted toA carry the ,1a. The casing 3 is also formed with a discharge nozzle 3b. The passage through the casing is controlled by a valve 4l which has its stem threaded at 4a to engage the correspondingly internally threaded boss 3c of the casing.y The valveV 4 is arranged to cooperate with a valve seat 3d to close orkopen the passage-through the casing when the valve stem is turned. v f

On the outer end of the valve stem is mounted my improved actuating lever 5, the said lever being formed with serrated aperture 5a 55 Other objects of the invention more or less v which is adapted to fit the correspondingly serrated portion ab of the valve stem. The said stein' is formed adjacent the serrated portion with a shoulder 4 to form an abutment for one side of the lever 5 and the latter is firmly secured by a nut 6 on the end of the valve stem so that movement of the lever correspondingly rotates the valve and moves it toward or from its seat according to the direction of the rotation.

The actuating lever 5 formed at one end with an aperture 5b to receive a pull chain 7 which is fitted at its lower end with a handle 8 and is made of such length that the boiler attendant standing on the furnace fioor can conveniently grasp the handle and pull the chain to open the gauge cock valve. The other end of the operating lever 5 is formed with an enlargement 5c which serves as a weight to turn the valve stem in a closing direction when the attendant releases the pull chain, and to normally hold the valve in closed position. In addition, each of the actuating levers 5 is formed on its lower side with a projecting finger 5d and on its upper side with a second projecting finger 5e, these fingers being of suitable forms to perform the functions hereinafter pointed out.

` IVith the series of gauge cocks mounted on the water column as shown in Fig. l, it will be seen that when the operating lever 5 of any one of the gauge cocks is moved into position by the downward pull on its chain 7, one of its fingers 51 or 5, will be brought into engagement with one of the fingers of an adjacent valve lever in such a manner that a closing force is applied to the second' valve while the latter and its actuating lever serve as a positive stop to limit the opening movement of the valve actuated by the attendant. In Fig. l the upper gauge cock is shown in closed position by the full lines and in open position by the dotted lines and it will be observed that when the upper gauge cock is in open position its linger 5d is brought into engagement with the upper .finger 5e of the middle gauge cock in a manner to press the valve of the latter more rmly against its seat and so that the finger 5e of the middle gauge cock serves as a positive stop to limit the opening movement of the upper gauge cock.

Similarly, when the middle gauge cock is opened its lower finger 5d engages the upper finger 5e of the bottom gauge cock so that the opening movement of the middle cock is positively limited and its weighted end 5c is prevented from striking against the weighted end of the upper gauge cock and movin the valve of the latter to openposition. Furthermore when the bottom finger 5d of 'the middle gauge cock engages the upper finger 5*3 of the bottom gauge cock, the upper Enger 5C of the middle gauge cock also engages the base portion 5d of the upper gauge cock in a manner to prevent opening movement of the latter.

When the bottom gauge cock is opened by the movement of its operating lever 5 from the full line position to the dotted line position shown in Fig. l, its upper finger 5e comes into engagement with the base portion of the lower finger 5d of the middle gauge cock so as both to limit the opening movement of the bottom gauge cock and hold the middle gauge cock in closed position.

Itwill be seen that while each of the oauge cocks is a selfcontained device it is adapted to c'o-ac't with the adjacent gauge cock or cocks in a manner to prevent improper opening of a cock which not intended to be actuated. Furthermore., as the co-acting features of the gauge cocks are limited to the actuating lever a set of gauge cocks of old or prior forms of construction can be equipped to embody my invention simply by providing them with my improved form of valve actuating lever. These levers, itwill be observed, are identical in form and construction and itis a simple and easy matter for a workman to mount them upon the stems of the gauge cock in suitable manner.

lVhile I have iliust-rated a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood'that various other forms of construetion may be employed to embody the invention as defined by the appended claims.

lVliat I claim is:

l. In a valve mechanism, the combination of a plurality of valves adapted to be opened and clos-ed one at a time in the normal operation of the mechanism; and an actuating device for each valve, the said actuating devices being formed and arranged so that the actuating devices of valves adjacent to each 'other mutually engage when one of the valves is opened to limit its opening movement and hold the other adjacent valve closed.

2. In a valve mechanism, the combination of a plurality of valves adapted to be opened and closed one at a time in the normal operation of the mechanism; and identical actuating devices for the several valves, said devices being formed and arranged so that the actuating devices of valves adjacent to each other mutually engage when one of the valves is opened to limit its opening movement and hold the other' adjacent valve closed.

3. In a valve mechanism, the combination of a plurality of valves adapted to be opened and closed one at a. time in the normal operation of the mechanism; and an actuating devicel for each valve, the said actuating devices being formed and arranged so that the actuating devices of valves adjacent to each other mutually engage when one of the valves is opened to afford a positive stop definitely limitingthe opening movement of said valve.

4. In a valve mechanism, the combination of a plurality ofvalves adapted to be open-ed and closed one at a time in the normal operation of the mechanism; and an actuating device for each valve, the said actuating devices being formed and arrange-d so that the actuating devices of valves adjacent to each other mutually engage When one of the valves is opened to hold the other adjacent valve closed.

5. In a valve mechanism, the combination of a plurality of valves adapted to be opened and closed one at a time in the normal operation of the mechanism; and an actuating device for each valve, the said actuating devices being formed and arranged so that when one of the valves is moved to open position the opening of anadjacent valve is prevented by mutual engagement of the actuating devices of said valves.

6. In a valve mechanism for indicating the Water level in steam boilers, the combination of an upright Water column; and a plurality of gauge cocks mounted on said column one above another,-each cock comprising a valve and a lever tor actuating `it and the several actuating levers being formed and arranged so that the levers of valves adjacent to each other mutually engage ywhen one valve is opened to limit its opening movement and hold the other adjacent valve closed.

7. In a valve mechanism for indicating the Water levelrin steam boilers, the combination of an uprightwater column; and a plurality of gauge cocks mounted on said column one above another, each cock comprising a valve and a lever for actuating it and the several actuating levers being formed and arranged so that the levers of valves adjacent to each other mutually engage when one valve is opened to hold the other adjacent valve closed.

8. In a valve mechanism :torindicating the Water level in steam boilers, the combination of an upright Water column; and a plurality of gauge cocks mounted on said column one above another, each cock comprising a valve and a lever for actuating it and the several actuating levers being identical and formed and arranged so that the levers of valves adjacent to each other mutually engagewhen .f one valve is opened to limit its opening movement and hold the` other adjacent valve closed.

9. In a valve mechanism for indicating the Water level in steam boilers,the combination of an upright Water column; and a plurality of gauge cocks mounted on said column one above another, each cock comprisinga valve and a lever for actuating it and the several signature.

GEORGE W. OSBORN.

actuating levers being identical and formed and arranged so that the levers of valves adjacent to each other mutually engage when one valve is opened to hold the votheradjacent valve closed.

10. As a new article of manufacture, a valve actuating member for gauge cocks, said 

